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PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – During his time at Pace University, DJ Henry made an impact on many lives. On Monday afternoon, his short life made a withstanding impact as the university dedicated a new clock tower on campus in Henry’s honor.
“It’s important to keep DJ’s spirit alive,” Angela Henry, DJ’s mother said at Monday’s ceremony. “We can’t let DJ’s spirit just stop, we need to allow it to continue to grow.”
DJ’s parents Angela and Dan Henry along with members of the Pace community, including some of Henry’s former teammates on the Pace football team, gathered at the unveiling ceremony. The clock tower dedicated to Henry stands just outside of the Goldstein Health & Fitness Center on the Pleasantville Campus.
“We know DJ is smiling down on us from ear-to-ear, giving one of those little chuckles he would do whenever he was very excited about something,” Dan Henry said.
In October of 2010, then 20-year-old DJ Henry was shot and killed by Pleasantville Police Officer Aaron Hess during a chaotic crime scene at the Thornwood Shopping Center in which Henry struck Hess with his vehicle. He was a junior at Pace at the time.
Joseph O’Donnell, former athletic director at Pace, said the clock holds a specific dedication to Henry.
“We started looking at clocks and we probably looked at 500 or so and one of the football players noticed one thing, that none of the clocks had numbers on them,” O’Donnell said. “So someone suggested that we put DJ’s number, number 12, on the clock and you’ll see that it’s the only number on the clock and it’s very significant.”
Earlier this March, Henry’s parents and their lawyer Michael Sussman released numerous court documents to the public that are related to their son’s shooting. They continue to search for justice for their son’s death through an ongoing legal battle. Daniel Henry said that it is important to keep fighting in his son’s honor.
“This is really a chance to stop and celebrate DJ’s life but we’re not done yet, there’s still more change to come,” Daniel Henry said.
Comments (10)
Any homicide of a young person, whether intoxicated or not is a tragedy! As a Pace University alum, I'm pleased to see that the university is supporting/onoring the life of a young student who lost his life early. Whether or not Pace's actions spark discussions on a young DJ who was popular, drinking in college or police/student interactions isn't as relevant as the fact that it sparks discussions. May he Rest In Peace.
They are NOT doing anything by ignoring the problem!!! Honoring DJ with a "clock" is doing almost nothing about the underlying problem. As a Pace University alumni, you know that there are drinking problems both on campus and off campus. So far as I can see, and I could be wrong, they have done nothing to address this issue.
Mr/Ms McVetty, If you're concerned about an "issue" maybe you should advocate specifically for that "issue". This article is reporting on an University acknowledgement of a young persons life. As an alum of Pace I know nothing of the Alcohol problems on campus but again, if you do, maybe you should pursue that specific issue, not make attempts to insult the honoring of a life.
Furthermore, let's remember that this man was someone's son (as parents pictured above), friend and classmate. Per the article, he was popular. Im sure the student community on campus is heavily affected by his death, regardless of the circumstances. Again, the University's done well to give honor to his life. If you continue to be bothered by their memoralizing of a student...and claim your concerns stem from campus drinking...Maybe you should contact the University directly to investigate any response to drinking or programs offered for students on campus.
So you say , Mr. Greenburghmomof2 you knew nothing about the problem? I find that hard to believe because everyone living in the town knew. It was a nightly occurrence in town. If it happened in town, I'm sure it happened on campus. Just who are you trying to fool ? The clock was a nice gesture but really doesn't do anything about the underlying problem. Nice fluff piece but I ask the "reporter" earlier to look at the drinking problem that some of these students have. Till this day no one will broach the subject about drinking by students on and off campus. To them there isn't a problem.
To remind all, the legal drinking age in New York State is 21. That includes very large number of those attending Pace as students.
McVetty, I'm a Mrs., as my name indicates "mom" of two, it would've made sense to ASSume that I am a female. Nonetheless, you make quite an amount of incorrect assumptions in your post. That's fine, but to clarify...no, I knew of no drinking problem as I was in school to learn and obtain my degree, not to pay attention to alcohol. Please try to focus, it seems your argument is geared toward campus drinking, or underage drinking or the reporter's 'fluff' piece, but all in all, it's not focused on the point or topic of the article. Maybe your argument would be heard in a different forum...
A more fitting memorial would have been a program named after him dealing with drinking in college and the problems it causes. This program would be a far better memorial to him. It might ACTUALLY do something and possibly save lives. But what do I know? I'm not an academic, and we know how smart they are, don't we?
Because people disagree with you, Mickey Riverss, you label them "insensitive louts". Very telling.
My opinion is we need to be careful of who we honor. What we applaud we encourage.
I am unaware of the outstanding accomplishments Mr. Henry made in his short life to warrant this wonderful gesture.
How do you honor a man legally drunk who assaults a police officer with a deadly weapon? It is a tragedy that a young man's life was cut short in a circumstance that did not have to happen. I hope this incident will emphasize the consequences of under age drinking.
Let the parade of insensitive louts begin. The Clock Tower seems to be a fitting memorial to Mr. Henry's time at Pace where he apparently made an impact on the lives of many people, and will continue to do so for years to come. I don't see anything about the action by Pace or in this story to suggest that the Clock Tower memorial takes one side or the other on the tragic events which occurred at the Thornwood Shopping Center. Pace should be congratulated for the courage to prominently display the memorial to Mr. Henry. And compliments to Robert Michelin for his reporting on this matter.
On the contrary Mickey. Lets suppose Mr. Henry was not killed and the police officer was able to get out of the way. At the very least he would have been arrested for driving under the influence as he was under the age to drink alcohol. Would he have been honored by Pace or thrown off the football team? Pace is clearly taking sides in this tragedy.